Spotlight on Business: Hokee Poke

Spotlight on Business: Hokee Poke

Eating Elk Grove Feature: Hokee Poke

By: Ashley Newell

October 10, 2016 marks the one year anniversary of Hokee Poke restaurant. Over the last year, they have served over 80k bowls of poke! Loc Tran and Jason Phung, who grew up in the Elk Grove/Sacramento area, wanted to bring their love of fresh seafood and poke to Elk Grove and be the first in town to offer this delicious Hawaiian favorite. Their vision is to serve the best tasting poke bowls with the freshest ingredients. Their fish is always fresh.

If you haven’t heard of poke (pronounced “pok-eh”), it’s the Hawaiian word for “section” or “to cut or slice.” Poke is a Hawaiian raw fish salad that has seasoning on it usually influenced by Japanese or other Asian cultures. At Hokee Poke, they offer a variety of fresh fish including tuna, salmon, scallops, shrimp, octopus, and more. Hokee Poke is the only place in California where you can upgrade to langostino lobster for an additional $2. Hokee Poke also offers tofu for people who don’t eat fish and spam musubi and miso soup for people who don’t want to make a poke bowl. They also sell fish jerkies that come from Hawaii, macaron ice cream sandwiches from Bon Mange made with Gunthers ice cream, and an array of unique Hawaiian drinks like Alkaline Hawaiian Water, Hawaiian Iced Tea, Hawaiian Kona Coffee, and much more.

The format of Hokee Poke is really fun! You walk down the line selecting your protein, sauces, and toppings from behind a glass panel that covers the line, similar to some burrito places. You can see the fresh fish and all the toppings and pick what appeals to you. You can have your bowl on rice, brown rice, salad, or wonton chips. There are various sauces that you can mix and match to create your own flavor. Then you can have your bowl topped with different veggies, crab salad, and condiments like sushi ginger, wasabi, macadamia nuts, and more. It’s fun to make your custom bowl and you can change it up every time you visit. I, personally, feel like these bowls are similar to a sushi roll but in bowl form.

Hokee Poke also has a vibrant young staff who are knowledgable about their product! They are very friendly and if you go in not knowing what you’re doing, they will walk you through the process. You can also use the FiveStars app to get a Hokee Poke “rewards card” and earn points towards free items on each purchase. If you like sushi, you should definitely give this place a try! It’s a fun twist on eating raw fish.

Be sure to follow Hokee Poke on social media! They are planning a one year celebration party with buy one get one 50% bowls!

About the Author:

Ashley Newell is a wife and mom who lives in Elk Grove. She is a food enthusiast who wants to feature the amazing food that Elk Grove and the surrounding areas have to offer. You can follow her journey on Instagram @ashleynewell.me, her lifestyle blog http://www.ashleynewell.me, and for more Elk Grove food tips you can visit her Facebook page EatingElkGrove.